This invention relates to tape dispensers of the kind in which a coating composition to be laid down onto a substrate surface is supplied carried on a ribbon and in use of the dispenser the coating composition is transferred onto the substrate surface as a continuous strip while the carrier ribbon is retained by the dispenser. Such tape dispensers are known, and are used for example for applying a correction composition to cover a writing or typing mistake and to enable a correction to be made. In these known correction tape dispensers, separate tape supply and take up spools are generally provided within the dispenser casing, and the two spools are linked by a drive mechanism so that as tape is drawn for use from the supply spool the take up spool is rotated to wind up the used carrier ribbon. Also, as the rotational speeds of the spools are not the same, some form of clutch mechanism is usually demanded. The need for a clutch increases the manufacturing costs which is a disadvantage, especially as most dispensers are intended to be discarded after the initial tape supply has been used up. Because, when first manufactured and used essentially all the tape is carried by the supply spool, whereas at final use the supply spool is empty and all the carrier ribbon is wound onto the take up spool, the respective spools require considerable space within the dispenser body which also serves as a handle for holding the dispenser during use. Consequently, the length of tape which can be supplied in a dispenser is limited if the body is not to become large and, as a result, make the dispenser cumbersome and inconvenient to use. This drawback is especially acute where it is desired to provide a dispenser with a slim elongated body or handle to enable it to be held in similar manner to the way in which a pen or marker is held in the hand.